iHigh Tide
by Aaerial15
Summary: Sam and Carly are now happily in a relationship. But Nora has returned, and has used Carly as leverage on Sam to exact a most cruel revenge on them. Inspired by Something to Tide you Over from Creepshow. 3 shot. WARNING: Character death!
1. An Awful Fate

**iHigh Tide**

_Author's note: I do not own the characters in this story, just the situations involved. All characters are the property of Nickelodeon. The idea for this story is based off of Something to Tide you Over from Creepshow. That being said, enjoy_

It was late spring in Seattle, Washington. Sam Puckett was riding a high of life right now. She had recently come out to her mother as a bisexual, and even though a huge fight had erupted where her mother had kicked her out of the house, Sam couldn't be happier. Her sister, Melanie had known for years, and was all too happy to offer Sam a place to live.

Everything had seemed to fall into place. As luck would have it, her best friend and former co-host of iCarly, Carly Shay, had recently revealed to her brother, father and their entire group that she was a lesbian. Where Sam's mother reacted badly and had all but disowned her, Carly was met with nothing less than full acceptance from her family and friends.

But Sam couldn't complain. She had recently entered into a relationship with Carly. She had graduated Ridgeview High School a week after Melanie had graduated from her private school, making her and her twin the first Pucketts in their family to do so. She and Carly had been taking it slow since Carly returned from Italy with her father.

Sam reflected on all the happiness she'd had since she'd started dating Carly as she stepped into the shower. Twenty minutes later, when she stepped out, she was immediately grateful that Melanie had went out with Freddie for the day. As she reached for a towel to dry herself, one was handed to her, but not from someone she would have ever expected, nor wished to see.

"Silly bean, you're all wet," Nora Dershlit said, her voice immediately rendering Sam speechless. Nora handed her a towel as she slowly stepped out. She struggled with the fear of knowing that Nora was present during a time when Sam was certainly at her most vulnerable. Nora stared at her, a creepy smile on her face that didn't seem to convey happiness in the normal sense of the word.

Frightful memories came flooding back, memories Sam had tried very hard to forget about. The last time she saw that smile, Nora had informed her and her fellow iCarlies that they would never leave her house. "Well don't just stand there," Nora beckoned. Sam glared at her. Her voice finally found words.

"Nora..." she began, trying to find the right words. She knew she had to word this carefully. Nora's most dangerous trait was how unbalanced she was. Even now, although she appeared to be cordiall, jovial even, Sam realized that she could very well be in serious danger.

"Shouldn't...shouldn't you be in prison?" Sam asked slowly. Nora started laughing. "No, silly bean, I broke out two weeks ago," she replied. "Now hurry, quick," she said. "We're going for a ride." Sam wished her cell phone was here. At the very least, she could dial 911. Even if she couldn't place the call, 911 operators would certainly trace her phone.

She composed herself as she dried herself off. Nora was off her rocker if she thought Sam would go anywhere with her. "Nora, I'm not going anywhere with you," Sam said slowly. She had to play this carefully so that she could escape.

Nora didn't even seem to acknowledge Sam's refusal. "Of course you are," she replied. With that, she drew a small revolver from her purse. "If you want to see Carly, you will," she threatened. Her voice turned slightly darker as she delivered her threat.

Sam glared at her. "What have you done with Carly?" she demanded angrily. If Nora didn't have her at gunpoint, she would have pounced right then and there. "Carly's fine," Nora replied. "She wants to see you." Sam eyed her suspiciously. Something was not right here, and the least of that was the fact that Nora had managed to find her way into her home.

"Hurry up," Nora urged, her tone jumping back to almost friendly. "You've got to get dressed." Sam glared at her. She didn't dare make a move as long as Nora had that gun trained on her. She refused to put Melanie in the situation of finding her dead body later. There was only one option open to her. She had to string Nora along, preferably till she put the gun away, then she could take her.

"I've already laid out an outfit for you," Nora continued as if it were completely normal for her to be in Sam's bathroom, seeing her with an abscence of clothing. "You what?" Sam demanded, though she made no threatening gesture. "You were in my closet?" she yelled.

Nora ignored her anger. "I want you to look nice when you see Carly, silly," she replied. She gestured toward the bathroom door with the gun. "Come on, let's go," she beckoned. Sam nodded shakily and stepped past Nora, opening the bathroom door and making her way to her room.

On her bed, Sam saw that Nora had laid a simple tank top and shorts ensemble. She couldn't complain too much, except for knowing that Nora had been in her closet creeped her out beyond words. "May I have some privacy please?" she asked as Nora watched her, the gun still trained in her direction. Nora chuckled. "We're both girls here," Nora replied. "Hurry quick," she beckoned. "The longer I wait, the less likely it is you'll see Carly."

And there it was. The first not so subtle threat to Carly's safety. She glared at Nora, a desire to beat the ever loving crap out of her evident on her face. She actually stepped toward her. "I wouldn't do that, if I were you," Nora warned. "I'd hate to shoot you. It would be unfortunate to end our friendship like that." Sam stopped in her tracks. 'Play it cool,' she told herself.

"You're right," she hesitantly agreed. "It would be unfortunate." Even though she was acting, she still could barely say the words. Seeing no alternative, and not having any other choice as long as a gun was pointed at her, Sam hesitantly got dressed.

As she dressed, she covertly tried to search the room. She'd left her cell phone on her nightstand, but now it was nowhere to be found. "Looking for this?" Nora asked, pulling a familiar looking phone from her purse. "My phone!" Sam cried.

Nora eyed the open window. Without missing a beat, she threw Sam's phone, and with that, her only chance to summon help flew out the window. Nora smiled. "It's too bad. I liked the color." Sam glared at her, finally dressed. Nora laughed happily. "YAY!" she cheered. "You're finally ready to see Carly." She gestured to the open door. "After you," she ordered. Sam nodded.

It was a 20 minute drive from Sam's apartment to a remote stretch of beach. The sun shined bright as they drove, signalling in Sam's mind the beginning of what otherwise would have been a beautiful day. Nora seemed to have become smarter since she'd last encountered her. She gave Sam absolutely no quarter to escape. From the moment they'd left the house, Nora kept that gun pointed at her. Unfortunately, it was small enough to be easily concealed from any onlookers.

Even in the jeep Nora had procured for the drive, she still kept the gun trained on Sam. Finally, they had reached their destination. The view was nothing short of incredible. Sam was quick to notice that aside from herself and Nora, there was no one around. "You said if I cooperated with you, you'd take me to Carly," Sam said through gritted teeth. "Now, where is she?" she questioned.

Nora, for her part, remained chipper. "It's not quite time yet, silly," she replied. "We still have to get you ready." She pushed Sam toward the beach. "Start walking," she ordered. Sam refused. "Not till I see Carly," Sam replied. Nora gestured with the gun. Sam followed her gaze to a shovel that was sticking out of the sand just at the shore. "If you want to see Carly, you'll do what I tell you," she growled, her tone once again slipping from chipper to dark.

It wasn't long before they were standing just at shore. Nora gestured to the shovel. "Don't just stand there, start digging, silly bean," she ordered. Sam shook her head. "You said you'd take me to see Carly," Sam replied. Nora nodded. "I did. I just want you to be effectively neutralized when I do," she said. "For...my protection." Sam hesitantly pulled the shovel from the ground. "Fine," she growled, as she began digging a hole in the sand.

"That's enough, Sam," Nora said. After 45 minutes, apparently the hole was deep enough for Nora's purposes. Sam was presently at neck level with the ground, and she knew she'd need help to get out. Tossing the shovel out, she glared at Nora. "Cool. Can you help me out of this hole?" she asked.

Nora laughed at the notion. Sam had unwittingly placed herself right where Nora wanted her. "No, I don't think I will," she replied. "Why not?" Sam demanded angrily. Nora shook her head. "Temper temper, Sammie," she replied. "Now, let's continue this game of Nora says."

Sam had tried to supress her fear, but the longer it went on, the harder it became. "This is all a game to you?" she growled. Nora smiled and began laughing. "Of course it is, silly bean. Now, Nora says: fill the hole," she ordered, gesturing with the gun. Sam bit her lip as she did as she was told and started filling the hole she now occupied with the dirt she'd just dug out.

It wasn't long before Nora had to assist her, something the crazy girl was all too happy to do. When the dirt reached Sam's chest, Nora took over with the shovel. Sam was not thrilled about letting the nut case bury her, but the time to do anything about it had came and went when the dirt had reached her waist. With every shovel full, Nora was consigning Sam to a cruel fate, and all with that jovial attitude.

Nora smoothed the sand around Sam's neck, then took a moment to get down to her level. Sam now had a view of the shore from ground level, and it was beyond frightening. The worst part was that at this point, weather or not she was let out of the hole was entirely at Nora's mercy. "You know, Sammie," Nora began tauntingly as she took in the view from Sam's level.

"If I wanted to, I could finish this," she finally said. In emphasis of her point, she began piling sand over Sam's face. "Yeah, just like this, see?" Sam sputtered as dirt entered her mouth and nose. "But no," she said, once again smoothing the sand and clearing it away from her face. "I would never do that." Sam did the only thing she could and glared angrily at her. "Where's Carly?" she demanded.

"I'm afraid she lost the coin toss," Nora replied. "I had to bury her further down the beach." As Sam continued to glare at her, she smiled. "But I did say you would see her, and so you shall." Getting to her feet, she looked down at Sam. "I'll be right back. Don't go anywhere," she said with a laugh before turning back to head to the jeep.

It was only 15 minutes since Nora had left Sam alone. But for Sam, that 15 minutes was spent watching ocean water lap ever closer to the shore. Closer to her. Finally, she heard a car pull up. She had no idea if it was Nora or not. "HELP!" she yelled. "SOMEONE HELP ME!"

To her chagrin, it was just Nora. "HELP ME!" Nora shouted mockingly. "Scream all you want, Sam," she said. "My parents and I own this stretch of beach. Nobody can hear you." Things began to fall into place for Sam. It now made sense why there was nobody here. Except of course, for Sam, and somewhere down the beach, Carly.

As the water began lapping at her chin, Nora began setting up a tripod with a video camera as though Sam wasn't even there. "You lied to me!" Sam growled, spitting out a bit of seawater in the process. Nora seemed to act as though she wasn't buried in a hole in front at shore level. "I didn't lie," Nora finally said.

She placed a tv on the ground in front of Sam. As she plugged it in, Sam finally saw Carly. Wherever she was, the water was farther along than it was here. It was showering Carly's head as the tide came in and out. "No! No! No!" Carly sputtered, but the water was deaf to her pleas.

"It is possible to get out of this," Nora explained. "There's even a chance the water will free you," she continued. "It all depends on how long you can keep your cool. And how long you can hold your breath." While Nora was speaking, Sam was focused on nothing but Carly's suffering on the tv.

"You'll notice," Nora explained, "that this is not on play, it's on record." Sam was too worried about Carly, indeed to notice that at first glance. "Anyway, keeping your cool is crucial. As the tide comes in, you suck up a quick breath," she explained. Right on cue, Carly was hit by another barrage of water.

This one was big. For a moment that was too long for Sam's liking, Carly's entire head was submerged. It was clear she couldn't take much more. "No, please," Carly sputtered when the water finally receded. "Of course, your chances lessen if you lose your cool," Nora cut in. "Just like she is here."

Nora made one last inspection of the setup she'd erected. "Well, I think my work here is done. I thought I'd leave you with some entertainment, Sam," she said. "Well, at least until the monitor shorts out." 'Oh my god!' Sam thought. 'She's actually gonna do it! She's gonna leave me here!' Sam resorted to begging. "Nora please," she finally sputtered.

But Nora didn't even acknowledge her, and it wasn't long before Sam heard the sound of Nora's jeep driving away. Sam could do nothing put stare at the oncoming ocean. If only she'd fought back. Even if she'd lost, being shot would surely be better than the fate that currently awaited her.

She didn't have to watch Carly suffer for long. The first waves that came at Sam mercifully cut out the tv in a small shower of sparks. Sam couldn't focus on Carly right now. If she could somehow dig herself out, she could hopefully get to her girlfriend in time to save her.

But it was hopeless. The wet sand had all the consistency of wet cement. Every time her fingers managed to dig out the slightest gap, water quickly moved more sand in to fill it. Her struggling was taking it's toll. "AARRGH!" she screamed. A wave had rushed over her when she was trying to vent her frustration.

As Sam spit out seawater in mouthfuls, she realized Nora had lied. The water wouldn't help her get out. No, it merely sealed her coffin shut. She was out of energy. Between the sand making movement impossible and her own fatigue from trying, her arms wouldn't budge. "Oh my god!" she said as she saw the latest series of waves make their way toward her.

Nora Dershlit smiled to herself as she made her way inside a modest beach house that her father had managed to buy with the small fortune he'd made writing jingles. She knew better than to return to her parent's house when she broke out of prison. As she poured herself a drink, she smiled as she watched the monitors she'd set up.

Carly had ceased to say anything. She wasn't gonna be able to take it much longer. The only noise came from her sputtering between waves. Sam was trying to show a brave face, but she wasn't faring much better. As Nora viewed the proceedings, Sam glared at the camera she'd set up.

"Nora! Do you hear me, you crazy bitch?" Sam asked between waves. "I'm gonna get you! Do you hear me? I'm gonna get you!" She was cut off as another wave hit her head on.

Nora merely smiled at the threat. "Better hold your breath, there, Sam. Better hold your breath."

The water was a good three to five feet above Sam's head. Life was begining to leave her. As she died, a red aura appeared around her head. She would have her revenge for this cruel fate. Revenge for herself, and revenge for Carly.


	2. Hold Your Breath

**Ch.2 Hold Your Breath**

It had been several long hours since Carly and Sam had been done in by the tide. When Nora went back to retrieve the tapes, the tide still covered their heads. She found herself unable to stop watching the tapes of their deaths. She enjoyed the looks of fear and despair on their faces, especially Sam's, as the tide enveloped them.

As she watched Sam's final moments for what must have been the 20th time, a smile crept across her face. She seemed to be addicted to the look of utter terror as the water got to the point where it was covering Sam's head.

This time, however, her enjoyment was interrupted by a loud bang at the front door. She bolted from the chair she'd been sitting in, paranoia and fear etched all over her face. At the sound of a second bang, she dropped the glass she'd been drinking. It shattered on the hardwood floor as her eyes went wide.

"Who...who's there?" she asked. She slowly approached the front door. It looked like it had never opened. Just to be safe, she locked the bottom lock, the deadbolt, and the door also featured a chain lock. The door seemingly secure, she headed back to the tv room to clean the broken glass off the floor.

No sooner than she'd left the room did the door slam once again, this time much louder than the previous two. Nora froze in her tracks. There was no way the door could have been opened from the outside, it was bolted shut. She slowly turned around, and positively could not believe what she saw.

The door she had just locked down tight was wide open. The chain lock was snapped, and pieces of the deadbolt were on the ground near the door. "What...what the hell?" Nora whispered. She picked up the pieces of chain and metal with a look of disbelief in her eyes. She glared out the open door.

"Who's out there?" she demanded. "This is private property. If you don't leave, I'll..." she paused to think of a threat. It couldn't be police. She was sure they would have had her in cuffs by now.

"I'll call the police," she finally finished. It was a bluff, she knew. She couldn't afford to call police, being an escaped convict. But for all she knew, it could be some teenagers just doing vandalism. She could only hope they took the hint and left.

She cautiously stepped out of the house, and slowly circled it, looking for whoever could be intruding. To make absolutely sure that she was, in fact, alone, she circled the house twice. Both times, no one seemed to be there. She was the only one anywhere near this particular house, on this particular stretch of beach.

Breathing a sigh of relief, she went back into her house. She gingerly closed the front door. and tested the last lock. Somehow, it remained undamaged and functional. She'd have to make do until the morning, when she could have the door fixed. She looked to go back to watching Sam's death once again. She'd lost count how many times she'd watched since it actually happened.

Her relief turned to mind numbing horror, however, when she returned to her viewing room. The large plasma screen she'd been watching the tapes on was smashed, the DVD player broken, and the discs on which contained the demise of two thirds of the iCarly gang lay in pieces on the floor.

"What...how...who?" she sputtered in disbelief. It was clear that she was not alone. Somehow, someone had managed to sneak into her house. She thought about it for a moment. She had surveilllance cameras placed in and around the house. She'd find whoever was doing this later, and make them sorry.

She bolted back downstairs, but stopped dead in her tracks when she saw who was blocking the front door. "No..." she sputtered out. "It can't be...you're dead. I watched you die..." Sam Puckett blocked her path. But she had definitely seen better days.

Her once vividly golden locks had lost much of their color. In addition, strands of seaweed were stuck in her hair, and it was also heavily matted. Her waterlogged appearance only got worse further down her body.

The tank top Nora had chosen from Sam's own closet had been white, and featured a multicolored flower design in the center. Now, however, the garment was badly discolored and damaged, no doubt from the tidal waters. The left shoulder was torn, and in fact barely clung to Sam's shoulder, allowing Nora to see the equally damaged bra Sam wore earlier that day.

Sand clung to every inch of Sam's body like a second skin, and there were muddy footprints leading to her current position in front of the door. The pair of black shorts Nora had chosen bore a great amount of mud, and a larger strand of seaweed was wrapped around her right leg.

For several minutes Nora stared at her, as though she were trying to process just how it was possible. "Come with us, Nora," Sam finally gurgled, water flowing from her mouth as she spoke.

Nora's eyes went wide. "Us?" she questioned. A wet hand wrapped itself around her neck, revealing the prescence of Carly. "We want to show you something on the beach," Carly gurgled. She looked worse than Sam, if it was possible. Dirty water flowed from her mouth as well, and some of it splashed onto Nora's shoulder, bits of seaweed mixed with it.

Nora struggled to pull herself from Carly's grasp. "No, this isn't possible!" she shouted, a mix of disbelief and horror evident in her voice. "You can't be real!" Sam approached her as she finally pulled free of Carly. "We...want...to be...friends," Sam gurgled. "Best...friends," Carly added, flashing Nora a grin. Her teeth were tinted in a greenish-black colour.

Nora frightfully ran back up the stairs. Throwing the door to her bedroom shut, she frantically went for her purse. She could hear them coming, slowly but surely. Sam and Carly's undead forms were in no rush as they shambled up the stairs.

Nora emptied the contents of her purse on her bed, and sure enough, the silver of the revolver glinted in the darkness. She grabbed it without a moments hesitation, and pulled the trigger, with the intent of firing a warning shot.

To her surprise, the gun just clicked. "Empty?" she said in fear. She could have sworn she'd loaded it that morning. Her plan had gone so well, she hadn't needed to fire a single shot to get Carly and Sam to comply.

She frantically rushed to her desk, ripping open a drawer. To her dismay, there were no bullets. "Shit," she whispered. She knew they were coming. But it was impossible. Sam and Carly were dead, right? Someone was playing a very sick and twisted prank on her.

The next drawer she opened contained what she was looking for. Six bullets rolled across the wood. Nora frantically scooped them up as she heard the doorknob beginning to turn. Clutching the gun in one hand and the bullets in the other, she threw herself into her closet.

Nora fumbled in the dark, trying to load her weapon, to give herself a chance to defend herself. Her heart pounding in her chest and her frightened gasps were the only sounds. As she struggled to control herself, she heard the door to the room open. They were in.

"Come with us, Nora..." Sam could be heard gurgling. Nora focused on nothing but loading her weapon. All the bullets were seemingly in, except, wait, in her haste, she'd dropped one. But she had no time to worry about that now. Five shots would have to do.

"Yes," Carly gurgled. But Nora realized her voice wasn't as faint as Sam's had been. She felt a wet hand touch her shoulder. No...it couldn't be...

Nora fumbled for the closet's light switch. When she turned it on, Carly grinned at her. "We're best...friends," she moaned. Out of fear, Nora aimed, and with a deafening bang, opened fire. Her bullet lodged itself in one of Carly's eye sockets, completely destroying the organ. But Carly just smiled.

"Not...nice," she gurgled, black blood flowing down her face. Nora threw herself against the door so hard it broke open, and she stumbled to pick herself up off the floor as Sam advanced on her. "Stop right there," Nora ordered shakily. Sam ignored the order. "This is a game..." she gurgled in response, continuing her approach.

Nora took more careful aim this time, and shot Sam dead center in the forehead at point blank range. Sam was knocked down by the shot, more black blood flowing. It gave Nora the chance to bolt for the door. But to her utter surprise, Sam was pulling herself up.

"Come play with us," Carly gurgled. This couldn't be real, Nora continued to tell herself. In fact it was impossible. She'd shot both of these...things at close range in the head, and still they advanced. She saw the missing bullet rolling in front of her dresser, but there was no time to grab for it. She had to get AWAY from these things.

She turned and bolted. She ran downstairs and out the front door. She went for her jeep, but when she tried to open the door, it didn't budge. "Dammit!" she cursed. The keys were in the house. As she considered going back for them, she saw Carly and Sam heading out the front door. There was no way. She'd have to flee on foot.

She ran as fast as she could, heading to where she knew she'd buried Sam. It was still dark, but her parents had installed a light system on their beach every half mile or so. Nora never looked back, even when she was certain they weren't following her.

She finally made it to where she'd buried Sam. The waters had receded, so Nora expected to see Sam's head, still sticking out of the sand, but probably in worse looking condition. To her sheer horror, however, there was nothing but an empty hole.

"This can't be!" she shouted in disbelief. "This is impossible!" In her rage, she didn't realize she wasn't as alone as she would have wished. "You're finally here," Sam gurgled. "Now we can continue our game," Carly added.

"YOU'RE NOT REAL!" Nora shouted, firing shots at the both of them. Of the three shots she had left, she put two in Sam's chest, and her last bullet lodged itself in Carly's forehead. But it was for naught. They kept coming, unfazed.

"Can you keep your cool?" Carly moaned. "Can you hold your breath?" Sam added. Nora tried to rush past them, but they grabbed her arms in an iron grip. Nora struggled, but it was useless. There was to be no escape.

In due time, she found herself buried in Sam's hole. "I CAN HOLD MY BREATH!" Nora shouted defiantly. "I CAN HOLD MY BREATH FOR A LONG TIME!"


	3. Epilogue

**Ch. 3 Epilogue**

Melanie Puckett paced back and forth as she talked on the phone. "Sir, I've told you 5 times, When I left for school, Sam was home. In fact, she was just getting ready to take a shower. When I got home later, I found her cell phone broken outside. When I got in the apartment, she was nowhere to be found."

Freddie quietly entered the apartment during the conversation. "Yes," Melanie said into the phone, trying in vain to keep calm, "I know that Sam was a delinquent when she was younger. I don't see how it's revelant when I'm trying to report her missing!" Whatever was said on the other end caused Melanie to explode in anger.

"Look, are you gonna send me an officer, or do I have to come down there myself to report my sister missing?" she demanded, her voice rising with every syllable. "Thank you. Good bye!" she said, hanging up the phone.

"Any luck?" Freddie asked. Melanie shook her head. "I swear, if one more police department operator tells me that Sam may be playing a prank because her record would suggest it, I'll lose my mind," she said, frustration evident in her tone. For his part, Freddie stood firm in the face of her anger, knowing it wasn't directed at him.

Her tone softened as she realized that Freddie and Spencer were in the same boat regarding Carly. "How about you?" she asked. Freddie scoffed. "They keep telling Spencer that Carly's too famous from her iCarly days to suddenly go missing without a trace," he replied. Melanie laughed at the notion. "You know, you'd think that with both Sam and Carly," she said, trying to bring of an air of levity to the situation. She was just as worried for Carly's safety as she was Sam's.

"And yet, they are," Freddie finished. He truly hopped they just took a day off. But Spencer had come home to a similar situation. Remnants of Carly's cell phone were found on her nightstand, alongside a hammer. Carly herself was nowhere to be found. There was no sign of forced entry, no evidence of a break in.

Freddie eyed the tv just at the right time. A picture of someone he recognized was on the screen. "Hey Melanie," he said, a sudden tone of urgency in his voice. "Turn the tv up real quick," Melanie nodded.

"I'm Heidi Fisher and this is a Seattle 5 News special report. an all points bulletin was put out earlier this morning for one Nora Dershlit, who escaped from the Mission Creek Corrections Center for Women 3 days ago."

For a second, Freddie and Melanie felt their hearts stop, Melanie's out of fear for her sister and friend, as she had been told about Nora, and Freddie's, out of fear for not only the safety of his friends, but from personal experience, being held twice by her. "No way..." Freddie whispered. "There should have been no way that nut ball could have got out."

"Ms. Dershlit was serving a 5 year sentence for the kidnapping of the stars of a local web show, iCarly, two years ago," the news anchor explained. A picture of Freddie, Carly and Sam briefly replaced Nora's prison photo. "Ms. Dershlit has been reported as being extremely unbalanced. If seen, it is best advised to not approach her, as she could be armed, and she is considered to be very dangerous." Freddie stopped paying attention as the anchor provided a number to call regarding the escaped prisoner.

"Call them back," Freddie instructed, "right now. Tell them you wish to report the kidnappings of Sam and Carly." Melanie was already in the process of dialing when Freddie's own phone rang.

"Spencer, please tell me they found her," he begged. Melanie stopped in mid dial, watching Freddie's reaction to his own phone conversation. "Slow down, Spence," Freddie said. "Repeat that please?" After a brief moment of silence, Freddie nodded his head in agreement to whatever Spencer said on the other line. "We'll be right there," he said before hanging up.

"What is it?" Melanie asked slowly. A small ray of hope lit up her heart. She hoped this was good news. Freddie's expression was solemn. "They found..." he paused. He didn't know how he was going to word this. "What?" Melanie asked. "What did they find?"

Freddie embraced her in a hug. "They told Spencer they found two bodies, both female, fitting Sam and Carly's descriptions," he said slowly. The hope left as quickly as it had entered. "You don't mean..." Melanie's voice trailed off. It was as though she couldn't will herself to finish the thought.

"They tried to call your mom, apparently, but they got no answer." Melanie stared at the ground. If this was true, she decided, she was disowning her mother. No matter what had happened between them, if her mother could not be bothered to pick up the phone when one of her daughters was missing, then as far as Melanie was concerned, she was not her mother.

"They asked Spencer to come down and identify at least one of the bodies," Freddie explained. "I told him we'd meet him at the morgue. Melanie nodded. "Let's go," she said. She suddenly didn't care that a police officer was due shortly.

In less than 15 minutes, Melanie and Freddie arrived at Seattle General Hospital. Spencer was already there waiting with a doctor whom Freddie guessed was the coroner. "Right this way, gentlemen, miss," the doctor beckoned.

As they neared the morgue, Freddie stopped Melanie. "You wait here," he instructed Melanie. "But...I'm her sister," Melanie protested. "I know," Freddie replied. It was clear he was trying to both keep hope alive that it wasn't Sam while at the same time, protect her in case it was.

"I can identify her in case..." he didn't finish his sentence. Melanie nodded her acceptance. He glanced at Spencer, who he might as well have considered to be a big brother. "Let's get this over with," Spencer said, trying to sound optimistic.

With deep breaths, Freddie and Spencer slowly opened the double doors to the morgue and the nearest table. The bodies of two recently dead girls lay upon it, one a blonde, the other a brunette.

"Oh my god," Spencer said as soon as he got near enough. At first Freddie thought it was due to the smell, which was admittedly pretty bad. But then he realized it was more realization. "It's...it's Carly," he said, and with that, tears flowed down his face. His baby sister was dead.

"And that's Sam," Freddie confirmed. As he turned to exit, he found Melanie standing at the door. "No..." Melanie said softly. "No, no, no...it can't be," she continued, hot tears flowing down her cheeks. Freddie crossed the room in three strides and took Melanie in his arms.

"I'm sorry," he whispered, not even trying to stifle his own crying. "I'm so, so, so sorry," he said, stroking the blonde's hair. Spencer collapsed to the floor. "How?" he asked. "Why?" Freddie steeled himself.

"I don't know how," he replied. "But I think I know why and who." Spencer tried to compose himself. "What do you mean?" he asked.

Freddie looked right at him. "There was a special report just before you called me," he said slowly. "Nora Dershlit escaped from prison. "That crazy girl who locked us in her house?" he asked. His eyes began to burn with sadness and rage.

"I am sorry for your loss," the coroner said. "I think I know how they died, but I could perform autopsies to confirm it." Freddie looked at the doctor. As much as he didn't want to, part of him had to know.

"Where were they found?" he asked, struggling to keep the anger and sadness at bay. The doctor shook his head. "There's a remote stretch of beach not too far from here," he explained. "I was told they were found about a mile apart from each other."

He paused to let it sink in. "They were buried at the tide line." That solved the cause of death for them. "Oh my god," Freddie replied. Melanie couldn't take it anymore. She rushed to a trash can and emptied her stomach. Spencer wiped the tears from his eyes. "Thank you, doctor," he said slowly. The doctor shook his hand. "I am very sorry for your loss."

As they turned to leave, a call came across the radio. "We found another body," a female voice explained. "She was found between them. We're bringing her in now." It couldn't be. "You don't think it's?" Melanie questioned.

Though tears still streamed down his face, Spencer steeled himself. "I hope so," he growled. And it was. In no time, the body of Nora Dershlit was wheeled into the very same morgue. Her body was in an even worse state than that of her victims.

Freddie sighed. "It's time," he said softly. He adjusted his tie as Melanie turned to face him. She struggled with the buttons on her black dress. "Let me help," Freddie offered. He gently did the last few buttons as Melanie choked back her tears.

"Sam was going to propose," she said softly. Her appearance was simple enough. She wore no makeup and her hair was down. "Sam bought the engagement ring two days before..." her voice trailed off. She still didn't want to accept that her sister was gone.

She grabbed the case off the counter, and opened it to show Freddie. "Oh, wow," he said as he eyed the ring. It was a simple ring, not too expensive. It bore a small sapphire in the center. "Blue always was Carly's favorite color," Freddie mused. "I'm going to place it in Sam's coffin," Melanie said.

Freddie hugged her. It was the right thing to do. They were denied what could have been a very long and happy life together. "You know, Carly told me that Sam was her center," Freddie said softly. "She said she couldn't imagine being with anyone else."

Melanie nuzzled his shoulder as they headed out to the car. "Sam said the same thing," she replied. "It's not fair that they're gone." Freddie looked in her beautiful eyes. "No, it's not," he reasoned. "But their memory will live on in our hearts." It was a cold comfort, but it was the best that could be given.

It was a small ceremony. Melanie had tried to call her mother, to no avail. Maybe it was for the best. Carly's father had taken leave to attend his daughter's funeral, and Freddie noticed that her grandfather had also come in from Yakima. As they joined the gathering, the priest spoke.

"Today...is a most solemn one," he said softly. "Two young lives were tragically cut short. It is with heavy hearts and much sadness that we say goodbye to Carly and Sam. Words cannot express how much they will be missed."

As the priest continued, Melanie silently put the engagement ring in Sam's coffin. If they could not be together in life, at least they would be together in death.

**The End**


End file.
